Filing-cabinet.



c. B. STILLWBLL. FILING CABINET. APPLIOATION FILED DEO.12.,1912

Patented Aug. 26 1912':

wrrNEss-Es Z 1 :NVENTQR 6 CLAUDE B. s'nuuwzLL J BY ms ATTORN Y CLAUDEBQ S IILLWELL, F SAVANNAH, GEORGIA.

FILING-CABINET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 26,1913.

Application filed December 12, 1912. Serial No. 736,337.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLAUDE B. STrLpwnnL, a citizen of the United States, residing 1n Savannah, Georgia, have invented certain fected.

Improvements in Filing-Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of certain improvements in or additions to the filing cabinet for which I made application for Letters Patent, on the twenty-sixthday of ,Marph, 1912, Serial No. 6 863,421, the object of my present improvements being to provide for j the use of reversible cards in' the cabinet to prevent excessive wear oi said cards, and. to provide for the ready segregation of groups} of cards and ready access to any particular group of the same.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of the cabinet equipped with cards constructed in accordance with my present invention; Fig. 2 is a similar view showing someof the cards reversed from the position which they occupy in- Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view of ipart of one of the cards showing applied thereto the device whereby the segregation of the groups of cards is ef- The box or easing 1 of the'cabinetmay be constructed'in any desired manner, although preferably with a two-part double hinged lid 2 so as to alnicist completely uncover the cards when thrown back, as shown in Figs, 1 and 2. The cabinet has a longitudinal suspension rod 3 of semi-circular or other cross section comprising a major and a minor axis, and also a longitudinal bearing rod 4 for contacting with the tops'of the cards and maintaining them in their proper horizontal position of suspension on the rod 3. Each card has in its upper edge an opening 6 for the reception of the suspension rod 3, this opening being of a diameter equal to that of the major axis-of the suspension red but communicating with the edge of the 'card through a contracted throat 7 of a width less than that of the major axis of the suspension rod, so that in order to a ply the cards to the rod they must first be ield in a horizontal position and slipped horizontally onto the rod, the lesser width of the latter passing through the contracted throat 7 and the card then being dropped into vertical position after the rod has entered the opening 6, so that its wider dimension will close the throat 7 and prevent the card from falling from the rod.

In order that the card, when released, will readily fall into its proper vertical position, that bortion of the card which is in front of the suspension rod 3 preponderates in weight over the portion which is in the rear of said rod, consequently the opening in the card to which the rod is applied must be nearer the rear {edge of the card than the front edgx l/Vhen two openings are empltyed, as shown in the drawing, these openings are equidistant in opposite directions from the longitudinal center line of the card and the latter therefore reversible, one of the openings receiving the suspension rod when one face of the card is in position to be viewed and the other opening receiving the suspension rod when the card has been reversed so as to bring its opposite faeeinto view. and contracted throat 7 in the card itself Instead of forming the opening 6 such opening with contracted throat may, it-

. of the same is secured a clip 8, that. one of the clips which is at the rear end of the card bearing against'tlie bar 4i of the cabinet and serving 'to prevent wear of the cards as the latter are moved to and fro on the suspension rod in' "order to permit access to any particular card of the set, the use of the two clips permitting of the reversal of any of the cards as desired. Each of the cards is provided at each edge with a projecting index tab 9, and these tabs overlap one another, as own in Figs. 1 and 2, so that ready separation of a series of cards at any par icular card of the series can be effected by pressing laterally with the finger tip upon the index tab of the selected card and then inserting the finger between said tab and the overlying portion of the tab of the adjoining card. In order, moreover, to readily determine which face oi? either of the cards is exposed to view the opposite faces of the tabs of each card are distinguished from each other either by a difference of color or some other distinguishing mark, as shown in Fig. 2, wherein seven of the ten cards are represented as exposing one face and the remaining three cards as exposing the other face.

It is often advisable to segregate the complete series of cards in the cabinet into special groups, and in order-that cards constituting a group may be readily distinguished from those of an adjoining group I apply to the top of the end card of each group a cliplO, which projects above the edge of the card and thus serves to indicate the line of division between the cards of one group and those of the adjoining group's. By preference this clip has an opening cut in it of such shape that the clip can be used as a reinforcement for one of the suspension rod openings (3 in the upper edge of the card, as shown in Fig. 3.

I claim:

1. The'combination of a' card cabinet having a suspension rod and a bearing rod therein with. cards having openings in pairs in the upper edge of the same, each of whioh openings is adapted for the reception of the suspension rod, the openings being disposed on the opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the card whereby one opening will receive the rod when the card is faced in one direction and other opening will receive the nod when said card is reversed, the outer portion of the card in either case preponderating in weight so as to cause the inner portion to contact with the bearing rod.

2. The combination of a filing cabinet having a longitudinal suspension rod therein, and a bearing rod for the card with a card having an opening in' its upper edge tor the reception of the suspension rod, and a clip applied to the upper edge of theard so as to cont-act withsaid bearing rod and in, and cards constructed forapplication to.

said suspension rod, with either face front, each of said cards being provided with an index tab at each end and the opposite faces of said index tab being distinguished from one another.

5. The combination of a filing cabinet having a longitudinal suspension rod therein, a set of cards hung upon said suspension rod, and a clip which projects above the up per edge of a card so as to distinguish it from adjoining cards.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of the subscribing witnesses.

CLAUDE B. STILLWELL.

Witnesses JAMES E. SUMMERELL, V. J. QUINAN, H. L. TRUCHELUT. 

